The Best Fourteen-Hander in England. 193 



we fancied in our rural innocence that her old father could possibly 

 have amassed during his Indian campaign), would be very well 

 worth dropping in for. Having talked the matter over with my 

 old friend, who, although unmarried himself, was a great advocate 

 for seeing us young ones settled in life, he strenuously advised me 

 not to throw such a chance away j and, as he had heard that she 

 was an excellent horsewoman, he thought it would be a master- 

 stroke of policy if we could pick up a quiet lady's horse, on which 

 I was to ride over, and, if she admired it, as would most probably 

 be the case, I was to open the campaign at once by begging her 

 acceptance of it. That she must admire the little chestnut mare, 

 I felt certain j and although there may not be much in a name, I 

 thought there was something delicate and lady-like in that which 

 the "vet." and I bestowed upon her, namely, "The Evening 

 Star." 



I had formed my plan of proceeding, which was, that on 

 the following Sunday morning, I would ride over to the old 

 nabob's house on the little mare, go to church with the old man 

 and his daughter, or (if he was confined to his easy-chair with the 

 gout, which was often the case), better still, with the daughter 

 alone ; and in the afternoon press her to accept the little mare as a 

 present, which, although not altogether a disinterested one on my 

 part, I nattered myself would be accepted, and, if matters only went 

 on smoothly, then, " hey for a wife and a lac of rupees !" As I sat 

 and ruminated over my future prospects, I felt quite amiably inclined 

 towards Mr. Cox for having put me in possession of the stepping- 

 stone to such luck, and I inwardly resolved, if things turned out as 

 I trusted, that I would, out of gratitude, do something very hand- 

 some for him. 



Youth is naturally impatient, and I really began to fancy that 

 Sunday would never come (it was on a Wednesday that I bought 

 the mare). The reader will probably ask why I did not ride over 

 with the little mare directly, and perhaps that would have been the 

 most cavalier way of doing business ; but, must I confess it, I was 

 rather selfish, and I wanted to see my old friend first, and, in case 



o 



